In early November I had to have a knee replaced. During the recovery period following surgery, my mind was a complete fog (even more than usual); between drugs for the pain and the focus I put toward rehabilitation, it just didn’t feel normal trying to write. I was able to continue research, ...

Here it is — a brand new year. Yippee! Every January 1 brings back memories of New Years 2000 and the Y2K scare. Readers of sufficient age should remember all the anxiety that was wasted in 1999 as some folks thought the world was coming to an end (or something similarly calamitous) on ...

Years ago I thought it was necessary to welcome the new year with a celebration of some sort. At the very least, I thought one should stay up until midnight to usher in the new year. During my high school years a classmate hosted a New Years’ Eve party at her home. We were country kids — ...

“When I'm worried and I can't sleep I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings.” I love that song. You probably know it. Written by Irving Berlin and sung by Bing Crosby in the movie “White Christmas,” it’s a mellow reminder that things could ...

Teenagers have a lot of fun. Several photos of our church’s middle school and high school youth groups having a good time at their respective Christmas parties were posted on the church’s Facebook page recently. I felt a twinge of envy. It’s been a long, long time since I was involved ...

While far short of qualifying for Mensa, I was gifted with a good memory. So it is that I can distinctly remember something that happened nearly 64 years ago. My father took a job with the grain elevator in Sibley, Iowa, and we moved there in February 1960. As it turned out, Dad’s job ...